The Wedding
Boris Mikhailov
Mörel Books
English
Text by Adrian Searle.
Hardcover
Edition of 1000
57 Pages
240 X 235 mm
2010
ISBN 9781907071195
Challenging and provocative, Mikhailov’s photographs document human casualties living in post communist Eastern Europe after the demise of the Soviet Union. They are unflinching and ruthless depictions of poverty and the homeless (also known as Bomzhes) living in the margins of Russia’s new economic regime without social support or care. This series presents a simulated wedding between two homeless people often naked and in sexual poses, set amongst their own surroundings.
Mikhailov’s photographs, often presented in these wry even humorous situations, only add to the absurdity of this tragic life. The onlooker experiences feelings of empathy and disgust as they guiltily absorb the content of these engaging yet horrifying pictures, peering into an unknown world of madness, destitution, longing and death in an un-redemptive portrait of outcast humanity. The Wedding is bound in imitation of a traditional wedding album, with white faux-leather and gold-debossed lettering designed by calligrapher John Stevens.
About the Artist
Ukrainian-born Boris Mikhailov is one of the leading photographers from the former Soviet Union. For over 30 years, he has explored the position of the individual within the historical mechanisms of public ideology, touching on such subjects as Ukraine under Soviet rule, the living conditions in post-communist Eastern Europe, and the fallen ideals of the Soviet Union. Although deeply rooted in a historical context, Mikhailov’s work also incorporates profoundly engaging and personal narratives of humor, lust, vulnerability, aging, and death.
(source: https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/1125)
About the Publisher
Mörel Books are a non-profit publisher specialising in limited edition Photo and Art Books.
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